beastie boys

In a freshly-published New York Times report, well-respected New York playwright Israel Horovitz is accused of multiple counts of sexual abuse by a number of women from over the course of a fifty-year career. Horovitz happens to also be the father of the Beasties Boys’ Ad-Rock, more commonly known now by his real name, Adam Horovitz. The younger Horovitz’s response is also detailed in the report, and it may surprise some who believe that the entertainment industry remains a “boys’ club” that sticks together in the face of sex abuse accusations.

The latest shocking hate crime to be committed in President-elect Donald Trump’s name has taken place at a surprising location: a children’s playground. .@beastieboys Adam Yauch Park in Brooklyn Heights was left defaced with ugly symbols of hate today. It should be noted that Yauch (also known as MCA) was Jewish, as are surviving Beasties Michael Diamond (Mike D) and Adam Horovitz (Ad-Rock).

Thirty years ago, on Nov. 15, 1986, the Beastie Boys released their debut album, Licensed to Ill. It was the album that not only introduced the world to the three punks-turned-B-boys, but it also brought hip-hop into the mainstream.

Beastie Boys’ long-running legal battle against Monster Energy may finally be nearing conclusion after the judge overseeing the case ruled that the energy drink company must pay the Ill Communication group an additional $668,000 to cover legal fees. The group had been seeking $2.4 million, but after reviewing their bills, U.S. District Judge Paul Engelmayer ruled that the band would still come out ahead by more than $500,000 following this latest decision. The Beastie Boys were awarded $1.7 million in June 2014 after a federal jury ruled that Monster infringed on the group’s copyright and that the energy drink makers misled consumers into thinking that the Beastie Boys endorsed the product.